On Tuesday April 15, the City of Boston, along with supporters from around the country and the globe reflected upon the tragic Boston Marathon bombings one year ago. For some, the adopted mantra “Boston Strong” can be exemplified in the innumerable blue and yellow banners adorning the streets of the city. For others, Boston Strong means spending more time in the company of friends and family.
For Berklee student Tim Sorbanelli, though, it means playing his music on the sidewalks of Boylston Street, not far from where shrapnel tore through his leg 365 days ago.
In front of the Old South Church Sorbanelli set up his amplifier, pedalboard, guitar, keytar and bass drum. Decked out in the Boston Athletic Association’s signature blue and gold colors, he adjusts the knobs and gauges on his instrument’s accessories with surgical precision to find the sound he likes the best.
In front of this one-man band is a single cardboard square that reads “4-15-13 STRONG; 4-15-14 STRONGER.”
Sorbanelli begins to strum his guitar, occasionally tapping the bass drum and substituting his axe for the keytar on occasion. Before I had a chance to chat with him about his street performance and the message behind it, a crowd forms and for a time clots the sidewalk.
His instrumental music is beautiful yet eerie. He calls it “haunting but also fantastic.” He’s able to meld the sounds of the guitar and keytar to create background harmonies that echo while he picks at his six-string. The tempo is slow but doesn’t come to a crawl. It’s the kind of speed that prompts reflection, no matter the subject.
Finally during a brief intermission, I’m able to finagle a few minutes of Sorbanelli’s time and surprisingly his humble and shy persona sits on the complete other end of the spectrum of his bright, loud attire.
“I played music here last year at this time, at exactly this time, and then I packed up and started heading out that way and I was right across the street from the second bomb and I got shrapnel in my leg,” Sorbanelli said. “I’m here to do it right this year and really just honor everyone who wasn’t as lucky as me.”
By a stroke of fate, Sorbanelli was headed back to Berklee, from where he’ll graduate in a month, when he was caught in the line of fire. He was standing directly across from Forum, ground zero of the second explosion.
He doesn’t recall who pulled him up off the street, but he did say that if he were ever to meet what he calls his “guardian angel,” he wouldn’t hesitate to open his arms for a massive hug.
Sorbanelli then embarked on a journey of physical and emotional healing that continues to this day. His leg is fine now, but he was struck by a taxi in November. The fact that he was able to come out to this hallowed spot and play one year after devastation tore through the crowd of spectators personifies Boston Strong.
“I didn’t think I would have the courage,” he said of returning to the spot to play. “I think my friends and family and the community here really pushed me to come back out. It’s my first time back in this area in a year. I’ve been over on the Common but today’s the first day I’ve really had the courage to come back here.”
It doesn’t matter that he’s ridden his bike down Boylston a handful of times since the bombing or that he recalls that notorious April 15 in some form or another on a daily basis. He’s found his courage, as have his fellow victims and their families.
So courageous is Sorbanelli, in fact, that when I asked him where he’ll be for the 2014 Boston Marathon on April 21, he responds matter-of-factly, “Marathon Monday? I figure I’ll be around here,” before continuing to jam out on his plethora of instruments.
